Oswego School Board approves settlement with former student claiming she was sexually abused by teacher

Oswego School District 308 and the Oswego School Board have reached a $913,500 settlement agreement with a former Oswego East High School student who alleged in a federal lawsuit that she was sexually abused by a former Oswego East High School teacher.

The Oswego Ledger obtained a copy of the settlement agreement through a Freedom of Information Act request. School Board members approved the agreement at a June 27 special board meeting.

In February, Diana Mondragon and her attorneys filed a federal lawsuit against Oswego School District and Oswego School Board along with former Oswego East teacher Justin Query, former Oswego East assistant principal James Seput, Oswego East teacher Stephanie Scapino, Oswego East social worker Dina Schnable and Lynn Demke, a security dean’s assistant at Oswego East.

As part of the settlement agreement, Mondragon has dropped her lawsuit against the Oswego School District and Oswego School Board along with defendants Seput, Scapino, Schnable and Demke. The status of her lawsuit against Query is not known since it appears that his name has been redacted from the settlement agreement.

According to the agreement, the settlement should not be construed as an “admission of liability or wrongdoing on the part of any of the parties.”

As part of the settlement agreement, both sides have agreed to not talk about the case.

“The parties and their counsel shall not participate in any press conference regarding the pending lawsuit or this settlement nor shall they make any social media posts or statements to the press except as agreed upon herein,” according to the agreement.

After Mondragon filed the lawsuit, District 308 officials in a statement said the safety, security, and well-being of the district’s students are non-negotiable priorities for District 308.

“We will continue to take all necessary measures to create an environment where every student can learn and thrive without fear,” according to the statement. “This unfortunate incident serves as a solemn reminder of the importance of our ongoing commitment to student safety, and we will relentlessly pursue this mission to the fullest extent possible.”

Officials added the July 2023 implementation of Faith’s Law in Illinois puts into place reporting responsibilities for each level of administration of teaching licenses and employment with children.

“The statute equips schools across Illinois with better information regarding the employment history of an applicant or employee of a contractor; gives schools the resources necessary to make well-informed decisions about who they are employing/contracting with and protects students from acts of sexual misconduct by school employees, substitute employees, and employees of contractors,” District 308 officials said.

At an Oswego School Board meeting in September 2023, it was announced that Query had resigned following an investigation by the district that he engaged in grooming behavior with a student.

Query, who had taught English at Oswego East High School, resigned effective Sept. 14. He had been employed by District 308 since 2005.

He voluntarily rescinded his professional educator license to the state of Illinois, Theresa Komitas, the district’s executive director of communications and public relations, said at the time.

Mondragon is a 2008 graduate. According to the lawsuit, Query began grooming her in the 2006-07 school year, when she had him as her teacher for junior English, “which is when he began his campaign of grooming that would ultimately lead him grooming and sexually abusing her throughout the remainder of her high school career,” according to the lawsuit.

The suit alleged that in spring 2008 – when Mondragon was 17 years old – the two had sexual intercourse in her car, which was parked in front of Query’s apartment.

“Query subsequently had intercourse with Diana at least 10 times in her car toward the end of her senior year while she was a minor,” according to the lawsuit. “This occurred once or twice a week, always in the parking lot in front of Query’s building. On one occasion, Query told Diana that she was his girlfriend.”

The suit also alleged that “multiple OEHS officials were aware that Query was abusing Diana and failed to intervene to stop it.”

After she graduated from high school, the relationship became public, with photos of the both of them being posted on social media, according to the lawsuit.

“Despite that they clearly depict Query having a relationship with a former student, OEHS continued to allow Query to teach students for another decade up until Fall 2023,” according to the lawsuit.

Mondragon began experiencing extreme emotional distress and trauma in or around 2022, according to the lawsuit, and asked OEHS officials to conduct an investigation.